Monday April 4, 2011 3:53 pm

Microsoft bringing the ribbon to Windows 8 Explorer

Perhaps people are overloaded on Apple rumors because the rumor mill has shifted to Microsoft and its next operating system, now referred to in the blogosphere as Windows 8.

The latest rumor is that Windows 8 will incorporate the "ribbon" interface with Windows Explorer. The feature - which put more functionality front-and-center rather than hidden behind drop-down menus - was first incorporated into Office 2007. With the release of Windows 7, it was also added to Paint and WordPad. A version of the "ribbon" interface is also included in Microsoft Office for Mac 2011.

According to Within Windows, Microsoft is thinking about adding the ribbon to Windows Explorer in the next iteration of the OS, but nothing is set in stone.

"In early builds of Windows 8, this Ribbon UI is only half-finished and, frankly, of dubious value," the blog wrote. "In fact, based on the divergent ways in which various related UI elements are repeated around the window frame, we get the idea that the use of the Ribbon in Explorer is, in fact, quite controversial inside the halls of Microsoft's Redmond campus."

In the screen shots posted by the blog, ribbon tabs include Library Tools, Picture Tools, and Disk Tools. Users can also hide the ribbon, and there is a "pretty expansive" file menu.

Microsoft declined to comment on Windows 8 rumors.

Last month, Bloomberg reported that Microsoft won't have a dedicated operating system for the tablet market until the release of Windows 8 sometime next year.

Rumors about Windows 8 picked up last June when a blogger posted what he said is a Microsoft presentation about Windows 8. It included features like facial recognition, faster start time, and better displays, with more integration. In October, meanwhile, a blog post from Microsoft Netherlands said that "Microsoft is on course for the next version of Windows. But it will take about two years before 'Windows 8' is on the market."

Windows 7 made its debut in October 2009, while its predecessor, Vista, hit the market in 2006.

This article, written by Chloe Albanesius, originally appeared on PCMag.com and is republished on Gear Live with the permission of Ziff Davis, Inc.